There exist numerous types of mops in the art used to clean surfaces such as floors, including twist mops, squeeze mops, ringer mops, etc. Each of these mops include a handle for supporting a mop head at one end thereof and additionally typically include means for removing liquid from the mop head.
In one such construction, a wringing tube or sleeve is mounted to the handle and is adapted to be slid over a mop head to wring or compress water therefrom. Further, the sleeve in one known prior art type device is configured to ensure a certain degree of resistance between the sleeve and the mop head to facilitate twisting, and preferably complete wringing, of the mop head. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,709,622 (Justis) purports to show providing inwardly extending ribs on a sleeve located between opposing longitudinal ends of the sleeve to facilitate engagement of the strands of a mop head. A further example of such a mop is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,338 (Yates et al.) that purports to disclose a sleeve formed with a plurality of inwardly extending grooves extending along a substantial portion of the axial length of the sleeve and located between the opposing ends of the sleeve.
In other constructions of sleeves for squeezing a mop head, the sleeve is configured to provide a compression of the mop head to thereby compress water from the mop strands. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,848 (Monahan) purports to show a housing for compressing the mop head wherein the housing is provided with a slit to permit the housing to movably overlap itself and change a mop head receiving surface area to compress water from the mop head. A further known construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,085,378 (Petner) that purports to show a sleeve including a plurality of rollers for engaging and wringing a mop head as the sleeve is moved longitudinally down over the mop head.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,625,838 (Laux, et al.) purports to disclose a mop with a handle and a mop head located at one end of the handle with a plurality of flexible strands defining a mop body. A sleeve is positioned on the mop handle and is supported for slidable movement in an axial direction parallel to the handle, and is further supported for rotatable movement relative to the handle.
There is a continuing need to provide an improved means for wringing a mop head, and in particular, there is a continuing need for providing a self-contained wringer which is capable of efficiently manipulating a mop head to dispense liquid therefrom during a wringing operation of the mop head. None of the references mentioned above include a handle providing added leverage and increased torque to the mop head, thereby removing more liquid than previously possible.